THREATS FROM NORTH KOREA: THAAD negotiations made progress

The Pentagon says South Korea and the United States have made considerable progress in the possible deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system or THAAD to the South. According to reports, the two nations are already discussing possible deployment sites in South Korea.

In a CNN interview, South Korean Defense Minister Han Min-koo said the THAAD deployment gives allies a chance to counter threats from North Korea.

Meanwhile, South Korean Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se will visit Moscow next week for talks with his Russian counterpart Sergei LAvrov on North Korea's nuclear weapons program and other issues. It will be Yun's first visit to Russia since he took office in early 2013 and the first such visit by a South Korean foreign minister in five years.

The International Atomic Energy Agency says North Korea could have restarted reprocessing spent nuclear fuel to make plutonium for nuclear weapons.

IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano says satellite evidence shows North Korea has likely resumed activities at its Yongbyon plant. He went on to urge North Korea to cooperate with the IAEA and fully comply with their international obligations.

Source: Arirang News